Graham Potter drops clear hint he has the answer to West Ham’s striker crisis

After over a year of suffering insipid, weak performances, Hammers fans were treated to a glimpse of what their team will look like under their new manager.

Of course it wasn’t perfect as West Ham surrendered a half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Aston Villa and exit the FA Cup.

But if that is what Potter is capable of getting out of his team after one training session, it bodes well for the future.

There will be big problems to overcome, though.

Not least the striker situation.

The Irons are suffering huge issues up front due to poor squad planning dating all the way back to David Moyes and injuries.

Niclas Fullkrug was sent for a scan yesterday and it is expected he has suffered a serious hamstring injury which could sideline him for several months.

Having already missed three, big questions will be asked again of technical director Tim Steidten.

Potter drops clear hint he has answer to West Ham’s striker crisis

When West Ham were being linked with Fullkrug, Hammers fans questioned the wisdom of signing a near 32-year-old with an wretched injury history.

David Sullivan and co should have raised the same questions before signing off on the £26.5m deal.

When Moyes was in charge of transfers he refused to sign a striker to replace Sebastien Haller. Then when he eventually did and brought in Gianluca Scamacca, he gave up on him after one season.

The Scot then refused to replace Scamacca, bemoaning a dearth of striking talent across the market and insisting he wanted to try Jarrod Bowen up front.

Broken bones suffered by captain Bowen and Michail Antonio as a result of his car crash have left Potter with misfit Danny Ings as his only forward option.

Unfortunately, that is no option at all based on Ings’ woeful performance against the club West Ham paid £15m to for his services.

West Ham still need the pacy, dynamic striker who can do a bit of everything that fans wanted to see signed in the summer.

And the Jhon Duran ship has well and truly sailed with talk of Europe’s elite wanting him and Villa expecting at least £70-80m if they sell.

With Crysencio Summerville also an injury doubt, it exacerbates West Ham’s problems further.

Yesterday, West Ham admitted they are ‘sadly not’ close to signing a striker in the wake of the Fullkrug injury.

That’s worrying with two massive winnable home games coming up this week against Fulham and Palace.

But Potter has dropped a clear hint he has the answer to West Ham’s striker crisis.

Potter explains why Kudus can solve problem for West Ham

The Harry Potter quips have been coming thick and fast since the former Chelsea and Brighton boss arrived.

He will certainly need to be a wizard to turn West Ham’s ailing Premier League season around and end it on a positive.

And his first magic trick will be to solve the forward issue.

Potter has now hinted he may already have the solution to the problem.

It’s bad news for Ings but shows the manager has already picked up on something Hammers fans have been saying for ages.

To play Mohammed Kudus as the striker.

Potter already put Kudus in the middle of the park – his preferred position – in his first game in charge.

After watching Julen Lopetegui play West Ham’s most talented player out of position on the left it was refreshing to see.

Now he has suggested he will play him up front – where he has played before for Ajax – against Fulham and in the future when needed.

Kudus was brilliant in the first half at Villa and much more like the player who took West Ham by storm in his debut season.

Kudus ‘absolutely a good option’ says Hammers boss

Some West Ham fans were critical of his second half display, but Potter says that was not his fault.

“Mo was really dangerous,” Potter has told The Mirror.

“He’s got some good attributes. He worked really well, first-half, pressing, won some balls. Carried a threat.

“He was affected by the team in the second-half because it was more difficult for him to get into the game.

“I was encouraged. He played more centrally than he has done for a bit. He quite likes that central role to the right.

“He comes in on that left foot and he’s a threat. He offers us a good option (as a striker), absolutely.”

It makes perfect sense to play Kudus as the forward now.

Instead of having four or five players to beat to get a shot off at goal, he would only have one or two at the most.

He will rely more heavily on service than usual. But Potter’s side already showed huge promise in his first game on that front with Ings wasting two golden chances.

The hope will be that Summerville is ok and then West Ham could still look a serious threat up top with Kudus leading the line.

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